Self-locking seal.



W. A. BRAMBERRY.

SELF LOOKING SEAL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.18, 1911.

Patented Sept. 10 1912.

@mmw/ WIIJLIAM anonzo nAMnEnitY, or nonifonx; VIRGINIA, Assmros be; onniofiltifi To nnonivr ohns,- or 1=onrsMo Tn;;vIneINiA-1 w 'sEnF-nocmirdsnan.

folk and State of: Virginia, have in ventedcertain new and useful Improvementsin Self Locking Seals andI do hereby declare theflfollowing t'orbe a full, clear, and exact description, of ithe invention, s'uch as will enable othersskilled in the to which it" appertains toi-make'and use'thesa'mej Mytinyention. relates to improvements in self-locking seals; and it; is "specially 'appli-I cableito' seals *for' railway cars, althjoughl'it may be applied to sealing up; any wagon,

package, or other article, 'where' "it is desired to show whether "thewagon, package, or" other-article has been tampered with. In otherj ,words, the invention. belongs to that} class of tell tale: seals, which is intended inerelygto show whether. the package has been broken or tampered with, andnot'as a protection' against,- the actual disruptio n of same.- I

My invention will be understpod by reference to the accompanying'flrawlngs, in

, which Figure ,1 shows. the device. in its cofnplete form' 'when in use. Fig. 2 is a plan view,- which shows the blank from which a seal is made. Fig. 3 is a detail, showing one end, of the blank partly folded up. Fig. 4 is a detail showing the other end as completely. folded. Fig. 5 is a detail showing a. central longitudinal section of the seal in the open position. Fig. 6 is a similar section to Fig. 5, showingth'e seal in the locked position, and Fig. 7 shows a section along the line 77 of Fig. 5, and looking in the direction of the arrows.

1 represents the-single blank from which the complete seal is constructed. This blank is provided with ears .2 and 3 at one end,

with the tongue 4 pressed up in the center of the device between the ears 2 2. 5 represents a slot to receive said tongue when the parts are in the foldedposition.

6 and 7 indicateslots at the ends of the blank, the slot 7 in the end 8 of the blank being considerably longer than the slot -6 in the opposite end. The slotted end of the member 8 is bent over through 180, as at 9, and again through a small angle, as at 10, toaform a hook The end portion 16 is I I Specification of Letters Patent: A Application filed-.N ovembe'r 13, 1911.

first bent along 14:, and will spring up above same, as shown U A V providezthe hook 14,. The blank 'i-isi their: olded' ovei' i across'ithc portion 12 and1th e ears 2 =and arethen bent inwardly' so'ias;torzengage in the manner shown This-construction providesfa box which is-openeat-oneiendi to're ceive the hooked nd1(9,.-1;Qand l1); 'llheeboxg construction is ..madeL;,-seurethrough th-e' medium. ,of- ;'th e atigue; d n-which ;passes-" .pthrough a slotiiinthei-hoo 145 andlrasim-ilar L im h g x a flllfilfi: T b e ges of the tongue 4 are the formedwithr allb ead' 4 which holds -.the giboit-iagainst-zz ringing open.1'Beformtheboxisifirm-edfthe ,parti 16 proj cts, .into a groove 1.;J-betweeir-the fears we 2, as shown in Eig.-5 Bos'se' s and' f1-8 armpstamped into theblanhiEoIi urpbses! ere inafter, to be described. 5

is used, as shown iiii-.-l ig.g 2, -.w;ith; the slots, tongue, bosses, and groove talready *de-h scribed; and this blank. has---i ts-.two endsbenh struck up frond the bla'nk inetal,

Now to apply the device, slipthe end 9 8O ep eye Pne heu.detices d.a: "bendit tosform' a loo'pfas ateo" (see Fig.1),

passing the hook 11 underneath the hook 14,1ifting' the same out'of engagementwith the groove 15; and the hook 11 passing be yond the hook 14 will snap up and engage same, as shown in Fig. 6. The slot 7 will permit the hook 11 to pass freely by the tongue 4:; This tongue 4 will engage the Shoulder at the end of the slot 7, and will prevent the hook 11 from being forced in beyond a certain distance, at which time the free end of the hook 11 will clear the hook in Fig. 6. It will then be impossible to draw the end 9 outward without breaking, some of the parts.

In seals as now in use, it is feasible to cut the strap 8 at about the position indicated by the bosses .18, and then force the strap. 8

-in the closed box, thus presenting the appearance of an unbroken seal; but with this device, the tongue 4 will obstruct the insertion of the strap 8 after the end of the slot 7 has been reached. As a further protection, should an additional slot be cut, by anyone tampering with the seal, in continuation of the slot 7, the bosses 17 and 18 would engage is bentlas at. t-o-ior ngthewliooki Mtwhich 5 In constructing-the device; aasingldblank 1 1 and in which, if the seal be once broken, it

cannot under normal conditions bereset, so as to deceive anyone exercising even ordi; nary care in inspection. i

It will be obvious that the seals can be sliipped,,knocked down. in large-quanti ties, and bent up where used, withoutthe requirement of special tools, other than ordinary pliers; .or, if preferred, they may be delivered already for use,lasin'dicated in Fig. 5 ofthe drawings.

It will be obvious. that various modi'fi'ca tions might be made in the herein described device, and in the combination and arrangement of parts, which could be used without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim and desire to secure by LettersPat ent of the United States is l. A locking seal comprising a blank strip constructed at one end to provide a box, one wall of said box having a pl'OJecflIIg portion thereof interlocked with another Wall of the "vice in the box past the box to securethe box structure, and to provide a guard; and the opposite end of said blank constructed with an engaging device, and slotted to permit of insertion of said destantially' as described.

- 2. A locking seal comprising a blank strip constructed to provide a box, one wall of said box having a tongue struck therefrom,

guard thereof, subsaid tongue passing through and engaging with the opposite wall to secure the box structure, and to provide a guard; and the opposite end of said blank constructed with an engaging device, and slot-ted to permit of insertion of said device in the box past the guard thereof, substantially as described.

3. A locking seal comprising a blank strip constructed to provide a closed box, one end of the strip bent to provide a catch within said box, one wall of the box. having a tongue struck therefrom, said tongue passing through a slot in said catch and a slot in the opposite wall and engaging with said wall to secure the box structure, and to provide a guard; the opposite end of said blank constructed with a member for engaging with the catch, and slot-ted to permit of insertion of said member in the box past the guard, substantially as described.

4. A locking seal comprising a blank strip constructed to provide a closed box; "one end of the strip slotted and bent to provide a catch within said box; one wall of the box having a tongue struck therefrom, and the wall opposite perforated;

ing through the slotted catch and said perforation and beaded to eng e with the perforated wall to secure the'box structure, and to provide a guard; and the opposite end of said blank constructed With'a hook forengaging with said catclnand slotted to permit of insertion of said hook in the box past.

the guard, substantially as described. In testimony whereof, I aflix my signw ture, in presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM ALONZO lllt-AMBERRY. lVitnesses:

H. HANLUL, J. H. Bnoonon.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 0! Patents, Washington, D. C. a

said tongue pass- 

